Former ballet dancer and actor Colin Morton has received a paltry police payout after being wrongfully Tasered during a 7am raid on his home. The incident occurred when armed officers somehow mistakenly targeted Morton, a white man in his 80s, while they were actually searching for a Black suspect in his 20s.
Morton, who appeared in films including “The Theory of Everything” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” described the traumatic impact of the incident. “I could have died. For the first time in my life I felt like an old man, and have been left with a stutter and post-traumatic stress disorder. I will never be the same person I was before this,” he stated.
The case nearly went to trial before Morton agreed to settle. “I only agreed to settle because they had already wasted so much time and taxpayers’ money taking it to trial,” he explained.
Despite an internal investigation by the Metropolitan Police that found the call handler missed multiple opportunities to identify the incorrect address, the force denied full liability. A five-day trial had been scheduled for next month before the claims were settled on January 22.
Morton’s lawyer, Rachel Harger of Bindmans, criticized the police for pursuing years of litigation. “There was an early public acknowledgement that a serious error had occurred, yet Mr Morton was forced to pursue proceedings to the brink of trial to achieve any finality,” she said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Smithson offered an apology: “We wholeheartedly apologise to Mr Morton and understand the impact this incident has had, while also recognising the amount of time it’s taken to reach a conclusion in this case. We hope Mr Morton is able to move forward and thank him for his patience during this process.”
Smithson added that the police have “reviewed the circumstances of this incident to identify any learnings and implemented specific training procedures to avoid similar instances in the future. This includes delivering training to each and every call handler within the Met.”
Morton has sold his home in Cricklewood, northwest London, that was raided and plans to use the settlement money toward purchasing a new property.
